By Eric Killough
Freelance Reporter
Special to the Tribune
Visitors to the McDonald’s restaurant in Pratt are liable to encounter a young community leader on the rise. Gabriel Heredia is a high school junior from Pratt High School who is making waves and setting an example for young and old alike. Last month, Heredia was named a winner of a “Put People First” award from Joe Lane’s McDonald’s Restaurant organization.
Heredia’s long list of early life accomplishments include having been the Pratt Public Library’s first ever Junior Librarian of the Year, an accomplishment earned at the age of eleven; having been elected freshman class president; elected student council executive board vice-president his sophomore year; elected student council executive board president his junior year; promotion to shift leader at McDonald’s; and recently receiving the Joe Lane’s McDonald’s Organization’s prestigious ‘Put People First Award.’
Joe Lane’s McDonald’s organization is led by owner Joe Lane and oversees the operation of 12 individual McDonald’s franchises, including the one in Pratt. The ‘Put People First Award’ is part of the organizations ‘5P’ model which focuses on the organization’s core values of being passionate, putting people first, the pursuit of perfection, thinking positively, and having a prepared mindset.
“I was deeply honored to be nominated by my store manager, Kathy Winchell, for the Put People First Award,” Heredia said. “I am beyond grateful to her, my amazing co-workers, the wonderful guests we serve, and the entire Joe Lane McDonald’s Organization. Thank you all for your incredible support as I approach my three-year anniversary.”
The Pratt McDonald’s location also received several team awards, including highest customer first visit average, drive-thru speed improvement, and kitchen speed improvement.
In recognizing Heredia’s commitment to excellence Joe Lane’s organizational leadership team selected Heredia to be one of the ribbon cutters at their newest store located at 39th and Maize Road in Wichita. During the ceremony Heredia was further tasked with escorting employees of Ronald McDonald Charities, members of McDonald’s corporate team, and other McDonald’s affiliates on tours of the new store. Pride is a big part of Heredia’s experience with McDonald’s, and it shows through in his approach to team leadership.
“Last year our organization held a ‘round up’ for Ronald McDonald’s House,” Heredia said. “This is a fund-raising competition between the stores in our organization and thanks to our team and wonderful community we came out on top every week crushing our competition while doing something for a wonderful cause.”
Heredia has advice for other young people looking for opportunities in the workforce.
“Find a job that works with you and has flexible scheduling. McDonald’s has been amazing at that,” he said. “For instance, when I need time off or to leave early for a school program or to work on an assignment, my job allows me to. It’s important to build a relationship with your supervisor and show them that you can be trusted. Be honest, accountable, and responsible for your actions.”
Heredia said his future has certainly been assisted by his time at McDonald’s, though employment with the company isn’t necessarily part of his long-term vision.
“Working for Joe Lane and McDonald’s has been great. I’ve learned a lot, done a lot, and met a lot of great people. But I’ve always wanted to go into healthcare and pursue something in medicine,” Heredia said. “I plan to attend Wichita State University to earn a degree in health science. Following my degree completion, I would like to apply to medical school with a focus on staying in Kansas for that education. I want to top it off by doing my residency in neurosurgery at the University of Kansas Health System with a fellowship in critical care.
“Once I am fully accredited, I plan to come back and serve the Pratt community. I have already been volunteering during summers at the University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kansas. This year I was put on inventory management where I went from department to department counting inventory, checking expiration dates, and making sure everything is up to code. I actually took the skills that I learned through McDonald’s inventory management system and applied those skills at the medical center. What inspired my interest in the medical profession, and this field specifically, was losing my grandfather to a stroke a few years back. There were no available providers in the area to treat him and there still isn’t in Central and Southwest Kansas and the residents of Kansas deserve better.”
Heredia said that working at McDonald’s has taught him leadership skills that will last forever.
“Everything from serving the guests, to the ins and outs of inventory, and working with technologies may not be directly applicable to what I want to do, but it helps develop critical thinking skills and a work ethic,” he said.
When asked what inspired him to begin working at McDonald’s Heredia said that as a Pratt youngster he always liked eating at McDonald’s. When he turned 14 the general manager offered him a job.
“I’m now a shift leader on the night shift which took a lot of hard work and sacrifice to achieve,” he said. “I spent countless hours dedicating myself to the levels of hospitality and quality of service that we want to provide. Thankfully, the organization saw that I brought value, and they promoted me to shift leader. Through my work at McDonald’s, I have developed my skills in communication, decision making, problem solving, delegation, adaptability, and accountability.”
The challenges of balancing work and school were addressed by Heredia who said that a primary skill all people need to learn is time management and balancing a schedule.
“On top of my job, I take a bunch of college classes at Pratt Community College and also manage the Pratt High boys’ varsity basketball team,” he said. “I also have responsibilities with our student council. So, the aspect of making time for all this is a challenge. Sometimes there are long nights at the store, especially in spring when we have a lot of tournaments in town and are busy 24/7. Thankfully my store manager is super flexible with schedules and always does the best to make sure we get the needed time off. I’ve had to become really good at balancing my work loads.”
Heredia touched on the importance of volunteer work and getting an early start on being active in the community.
“Junior Librarian of the Year was the first award I ever received,” he said. “Beginning when I was 10 years old, the library director began letting me help the staff with everything from checking books in and out, translating for Spanish speaking patrons, working the cash drawer, and assisting with inter library loans. As a result of my involvement at the library the director took me to the South-Central Community Foundation (SCCF) office one morning to learn more about the ‘Youth Making a Difference’ (YMAD) board. Having introduced me to Hannah and Holly, they told me more about the YMAD and their mission. I loved it! I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of and so in 8th grade I became an official member of the YMAD board.”
Along with his other responsibilities, Heredia has annually attended the ‘Seat Belts for Everyone’ state conference as an advocate for teen road safety; works with Operation Intervention; has run concessions at USD382 athletic events; is on the homecoming committee at Pratt High; and has recently begun attending Optimist Club meetings with his school principal Steve Blankenship.
Defining the attributes Heredia sees as important in community leadership Heredia said a good community leader is someone who will listen, someone who is there for people when needed, someone who can accept criticism and works to address those issues, and someone who demonstrates honesty, trustworthiness, integrity, and does the right thing when nobody is looking.
“Also, don’t worry so much about what others think of you. A lot of people will have something to say about you or your work that is negative, and it’s important not to let that distract you,” he said. “It’s important to work hard, to make yourself known as a hard worker, and to understand that you will not be great at everything. But you will find your own thing that you are good at. For instance, I’m not good at sports though my siblings are. But I can make a mean burger at McDonald’s!”
Heredia anticipates earning his associates degree from Pratt Community College at the same time that he graduates with his high school diploma. He said he was very thankful for the adults who have contributed to his education and shared their knowledge with him, providing guidance and inspiration along the way.
